Nephi Sewell transferring to Utah rather than BYU

The Nevada Wolf Pack transfer, who said after the regular season he wanted to transfer closer to home, initially committed to BYU in December. But he'll instead be a part of Utah's roster next season, his father, Gabriel, told Nevada Sports Net on Wednesday.

The Sewells moved from American Samoa to Utah when Nephi was in the eighth grade. Playing for Utah will give Sewell, a safety, the chance to play at the Power 5 level as the Utes play in the Pac-12 and reached the conference title game last season. Sewell must redshirt next season, per NCAA transfer rules, and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at Utah.

Sewell was the first player to commit to Jay Norvell after the head coach got the Nevada job. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound safety played as a true freshman and was a two-year starter who had 53 tackles, including six for loss, this season. He also had an interception and fumble recovery. Sewell has 111 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, six pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery at Nevada. He played in 23 of 24 games during his Wolf Pack tenure, missing one game this season with an arm injury.